What's with Covers and Chasing After Other Musician's Tones?

[cobrahead1030]

Playing covers keeps me out & working.

Starting a band from scratch is always a couple year process to get off the ground, and it's going to run its course sooner or later.

 

[SFW]

Do you make your music public ?

I am not currently. But 20 -25 years ago my stuff was all public for free. It was getting a lot of downloads. In China alone it getting about 150 thousand downloads daily for a few years. China was about half the downloads worldwide.

My bass player is a comedian for a living. He does small tours in the States. He has a radio show that does okay. He was a regular on radio program that was heard by millions a few years ago.

He wants us to do everything live via the internet on various formats. The good, bad and ugly. All of it. All the music is free. We would make money off the platform and merchandise. He believes we could do it full time for a living. He has a few decades of experience.
If it is out there it has a much better chance.

My last band, Straight Jacket Theory, is on all the socials. iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, etc... The reality is that we are older musicians. We have wives, kids, "real" jobs, mortgages, car notes.... life. It's meat and potatoes hard rock. I stopped trying to be Dream Theater in the 90s....lol! I can see all the stats. The downloads or lack thereof. The monthly listeners. The streams. Unless you have the ability to pour money into the system, the system does not work for you.

I chased this dream in my 20s. Got close. Looked at a deal. Walked away from said deal because our lawyer said we would be stupid to sign it. It was basically a slave contract. I think I would have been legally obligated to do my A&R guy's whites every Tuesday and Thursday...lol! When my second child was born, I decided I preferred to be financially stable rather than chase an industry that died in the 1990s.

I've been on big stages. Opened for huge bands. Have taken enough drugs to kill an elephant. Had a great time. And then grew up. I still love to play. And do so every day. But the reality is that no one is that interested in four guys in their 50s playing original music that they haven't heard of. This is a young man's game.

So why play covers? The fact of the matter is that people my age have disposable income. Or are more likely to have disposable income. When they go to a bar to hear music, they want to hear the music that they grew up with and is familiar to them. I like playing to people. THAT is my drug. I still do shows with my original band. About four times a year. I lug out the 100-watt half stack and the NASA command center pedalboard. I have a blast. Lean into the volume. Have a few drinks and play rock star for the night. And then go home. When I do the Bush band, I bring the Kemper and two guitars. Play to a room full of people singing along. Have a few drinks. Get paid. And go home.

 

[SgtThump]

This is what I'm trying to ascertain. It's not that I find it wrong, it's that I don't understand the investment.

It can be very challenging to play a 4-hour cover gig covering songs from Johnny Cash to Black Sabbath. In my opinion, not many guitar players can actually pull that off successfully. Most of the "original" guitar players I've met didn't have the skills to cover that much musical ground.

So to be completely honest... I think playing covers is ALOT more challenging than playing originals. So there's one aspect.

It's also nice to play often, watch people dance and have a great time, and make some money.

Not all of us are out here to change the world with our unique take on music.

 

[simonfrewler]

 

[phillybhatesme]

I'm late to the party and barely even read the OP. I sure as shit didn't read any of the thread. I've been concentrating on originals (and only originals) for about 20 years. I wrote my first song in 1999 and by 2004 or so, I made the conscious decision to only play my own music. I've never chased tone and I don't know how to play very many songs.

Positives: I feel as if I have a unique style of playing and wriitng. My writing style sort of emulates my listening habits, which range from classical to death metal. I've written really mathy punk/metal songs and really mellow bluesy tracks. I can't say that I play like anyone else, but I also don’t know how many people play so who am I to really say that I don't play like anyone else.

Negatives: I've gotten no where with music. I've wanted to share my music with the world for 25 years and have essentially fallen short in every aspect of this. It is fun to play my music sure, but if no one wants to learn it, then what's the point? I'm not Marcin or Bernth; the path to a solo guitarist career is paved with unknown material. I don't really want to play Autumn fucking Leaves with the jazzers, but sometimes I feel like I missed out by only playing my own music.

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

FWIW, it was probably just the first 5 words. Whenever someone says “in all due respect” you know some sort of veiled disrespect is coming. So when you open with “not meant as a slight” then everyone’s mind instantly thinks “ this IS a slight”.

So even if it truly wasn’t meant as a slight it probably came off that way to a lot of people. But that’s also what gets a thread some traction. You need a little ‘hot take/clickbait’ these days.

Honestly wouldn't have put it there, but historically some people automatically take things that way.
Catch 22, I guess

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

Just (as in only) playing covers = Elvis Impersonator
There's the slight.

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

It can be very challenging to play a 4-hour cover gig covering songs from Johnny Cash to Black Sabbath. In my opinion, not many guitar players can actually pull that off successfully. Most of the "original" guitar players I've met didn't have the skills to cover that much musical ground.

So to be completely honest... I think playing covers is ALOT more challenging than playing originals. So there's one aspect.

It's also nice to play often, watch people dance and have a great time, and make some money.

Not all of us are out here to change the world with our unique take on music.

Yeah, I can see how trying to keep up with the drummer on Iron Man or War Pigs could pose a real challenge. So, I definitely understand how topping out around 110bpm on a Johnny Cash song might be near impossible to the seasoned guitarist.

 

[SgtThump]

Yeah, I can see how trying to keep up with the drummer on Iron Man or War Pigs could pose a real challenge. So, I definitely understand how topping out around 110bpm on a Johnny Cash song might be near impossible to the seasoned guitarist.

I don’t even understand what you are saying in that post?

You said this “This is what I'm trying to ascertain. It's not that I find it wrong, it's that I don't understand the investment.” I’m trying to help you understand why some people like playing in cover bands.

You don’t want to understand, so I’m done wasting my time.

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

I don’t even understand what you are saying in that post?

You said this “This is what I'm trying to ascertain. It's not that I find it wrong, it's that I don't understand the investment.” I’m trying to help you understand why some people like playing in cover bands.

You don’t want to understand, so I’m done wasting my time.

You really didn't say anything other than that Black Sabbath and Johnny Cash were too difficult for the average pleb. That's not really trying to help someone understand the position of someone who is curious of why only covers. Especially when it's far from true. I can appreciate the consistent work and money making statement, but ultimately who are people going to cover in the future when all that's left are cover bands?